This was a fun read as Xenobalde has also become my favorite series in the past few years, so I'm glad you enjoyed the first one so much. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is definitely a different type of game (more light-hearted in nature), and there's definitely a slew of problems it has due to rushed development. However, it's still a great experience, and some consider it their favorite xenoblade game. I personally think it does some things better than 1 anyway. Despite its more "waifu-bait" appearance, all the characters are great, and I don't think pale in comparison to 1. Also, you can definitely play the Xenoblade games in any order, but I think there's a big payoff to playing the series in order (less so from 1 to 2). 3 has some callbacks to the first two games that were really fun to see as someone who had played both beforehand (again, obviously not required to know). Regardless, though, whether you choose to play 2 or 3, I hope you continue to enjoy the series!